North House Folk School is excited to partner with Sugarloaf: The North Shore Stewardship Association and University of Minnesota-Extension to host the Northwoods-Great Lakes Master Naturalist Volunteer Training Course on the spectacular North Shore of Lake Superior. Dig into northern ecology in this five-day immersion course that offers a wide variety of field experiences to explore a variety of area plant and animal communities, amazing geology, and Lake Superior, while also investigating human interactions in these ecosystems. Situated on the Grand Marais Harbor, North House offers an exceptional launching place for learning about the Northwoods and Lake Superior. This session will be offered during the Northern Landscapes Festival, a week when some of Minnesota’s finest naturalists converge at North House to take in the emerging spring season through birding, phenology and geology field experiences as well as evening lectures—no doubt a few of these experts will drop-in to share their knowledge, an added bonus to the already highly qualified lead instructors Margie Menzies and Lisa Tracy. Join us for a tightly packed whirlwind of adventures and learning! This course qualifies participants to become Master Naturalists after a capstone project is completed, as well as the commitment to volunteer for 40 hours during the year.

Note: As registration for this class is handled by the U of M, we are unable to apply North House gift certificates to this course. Our appologies!

You will need the following tools for this class:

• Notebook and writing utensils
• Good walking shoes or hiking boots- there will be significant time outside! 
• Raingear, and ability to dress in layers, hats, gloves, anything goes weatherwise the first week of June on the North Shore. 
• Lunch on some days (a detailed schedule will be provided closer to the course dates)
• Master Naturalist – Northwoods Great Lakes Text will be provided to you.

• Rubber boots are a good option for some of the habitats we will visit.
• Waterbottle, backpack, bugspray, headnet-- anything you will need to be comfortable in the field
• Binoculars 
• Hand lens 
• Camera
• Personal copies of favorite field guides, etc.
• Life jackets and paddles are provided, but bring your own if you prefer